Sometimes, Words Get In the Way
by Obsolete Love
Summary: "Finally got courage enough to leap for that last hurdle and I met a wall..." A 2xH story with lime. Disclaimers!
1. Default Chapter

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Sometimes Words Get In the Way  
Chapter 1  
by: Obsolete Love

"Okay... Easy... STOP!" 

The whirring sound of the Dragon 2 faded... and then the sudden, ear-splitting crash echoed throughout the lot as a pile of steel plates, thingamajigs and whatnots fell down upon another pile of such...

A man with a mop of chestnut brown hair, covered under the brim of a navy blue cap nodded then tapped the headphone. "Okay Mike. It's all gone... Thanks for the pile, dude."

"Sure, Maxwell. I'm off to PJ's now. See ya there later." 

The crackling, static sound flowed out of Duo's receiver and he grinned cheerfully while he waved to the shadow of a man climbing down Dragon 2. Then he faced the new pile of scrap metal while grabbing the pencil behind his ear and started checking off his list, enjoying the peace and quiet around the lot…

He worked automatically, instinctively… he's been doing it for so long that he could do it with his eyes closed and know exactly what's in the pile as it hit the ground.

'Yep… I just need a couple of thousand credits more… then its done… Finally…' a wave of relief washed through his body, leaving a ripple of happiness. 'Finally… now if I could just have the courage to-'

"Duo!!!"

At the sound of the soft voice calling out his name, Duo's serious demeanor disappeared, replaced by a sparkle in his eyes and that mischievous grin. He quickly turned around, his braid going in a slight arc around his body and settling once again at his back just as the owner of the angelic voice reached him…

"Hey Hilde! Wazzup, Angel?" He looked into those deep midnight blue eyes and his resolve tightened, just as it did when he heard about his friend gettin' hitched.

Hilde grinned hesitantly up at Duo. "Uhm… Are you going to PJ's tonight? Because if you are, we could just go together."

Duo grinned, "Yep… Wouldn't miss it for the world… It's going to be your cuz's bachelor party after that."

At that announcement, Hilde grimaced. She's heard enough stories about bachelor parties to make her hate it. "Bachelor's party… bleah… I wonder whom you guys hired to be the focus of your sexual urgings this time."

"Hey!!! Wasn't my idea! Honest!" Duo quickly blurted out. " 'Sexual urgings', c'mon!!! If you don't want me to go, just say so." He doesn't like Hilde getting mad…

Hilde shook her head but the grimace didn't leave her usually calm, smiling face. "Whatever. Go, if you want to. I don't own you…" Hilde's voice faltered at the sentence… Did she actually just say that? Gods! The pressure must have been getting to her more than she thought!

She gulped and quickly tried to cover her tracks. "Maybe I should just disguise myself as a boy and go to this 'bachelor party' just to make sure that there's nothing Claire has to worry about."

Duo stomped on the weird feeling that was creeping up on him since Hilde said 'I don't own you'… He shouldn't let her see that something's wrong… 

His hand snaked around her waist and pulled her to him while she gasped in surprise. "You'll stick out like a sore thumb in that party because," his voice went a notch lower, "…you don't look like a man at all… never will…" 

Hilde let herself smile softly before tiptoeing up to kiss him… He always does have the cutest remarks… 

Duo's hold on her waist tightened and she tilted to him just as he leaned more to her… Their breathing becoming haggard...

Jezus! He can't stop himself around her… but… he needs to…

His kiss lightened. He's waited all these years… he's so near his goal… he shouldn't lose his control now… He's just hoping that he's reading her correctly and that she feels the same way about him…

"Hey…" Duo started to say in between kisses. "Is that… what you're going to…wear tonight? Jeans and shirt?"

Hilde gasped and pushed herself away from him, nearly knocking him down onto his buttocks at the suddenness of her action. 

Duo stared at her in surprise.

"Oh Duo!!! Thanks! I nearly forgot!" she quickly moved to him, giving him one last lingering peck on his lips and then like a tornado, started running out of the lot.

"Pick me up at 5!!!" Hilde shouted out as she rounded the corner, the fence obstructing Duo's view of her form.

Duo blinked a couple of times, trying to get his kiss-numbed brain to function again, then with a silly grin plastered on his face as he glanced at his watch to check the time, he began his own version of 'whistling a happy tune' and started finishing his work.

~*~

Music blared from one brightly lit house with a train of cars parked from one end of the block to the other yet no one complained about the party since everyone in almost the whole sector of that colony was invited.

The small house was jammed, people spilled out to the lawn drinking their beers and smoking. Children dangled their feet from the windows, women chatted with other women inside… the food is still coming, and the engaged couple was smiling from ear to ear as they kissed each other over a toast.

Perfect.

Friends and families all together to celebrate… 

Duo shook his head as he looked around once again… It never ceased to amaze him how large Hilde's family is… or how many friends they have… Not to mention how well they all get along… 

'Jeezus! Why am I starting to feel this way?!' Duo asked in frustration as he grabbed a beer off the cooler and walked out to the lawn. He couldn't breathe just a while back… Not that he's afraid of big families but… Everything… everything he's always longed for is represented inside that house…

Peace, family, love… 

His clear violet eyes looked up at the starless night through the highest clear glass windows of the colony and sighed. 

'Heh… Wish I can see a shooting star right now and wish everything…' Duo's thought trailed off as he opened his can of beer and leaned over the waist-high back fence.

~*~

Laughter erupted throughout the room as a new page was turned.

"Awww!!! Look at that!!!"

"Did he eat that big lollipop all by himself?!"

"You've got to be kidding!"

"Oooh!!!! This is so precious! Look at him in the bathtub!!!"

Gushes were heard from the group of women who was flitting through the pile of photo albums Hilde found in the attic.

"Oh Hilde!!! Look at you!!! You look like you were 12 or 13 here!"

Hilde's laughter rang out as she stared at her skinny self, not that she filled up that much, but… "God!!! I looked like a ghost!!!"

"Nah… Wish you could grow your hair longer again! That way I can have fun with it like before."

Hilde looked at her about to be married cousin with a touched smile. "If that's what you want me to give you for your wedding, I'm shocked!!! I thought you wanted me to buy you something expensive!"

Fits of laughter rang out once again as Hilde got a slap on the back.

Faking that it was harder than it looked, Hilde fell forward to the table where the albums were.

"Hey Claire!!! That was a little too harsh!" Hilde said playfully in a hurt tone.

"Serves you right for thinking I just want gifts!" Claire retorted with a pout.

"As if that's not what you want!" someone else in the group said.

"Hey Hilde, what's that piece of paper sticking from behind one of your pictures?"

Hilde's gaze instantly went to where Annie was pointing at and saw the yellowing corner of a paper behind her carnival photo…

She frowned… she doesn't remember…

"Lemme see that." Claire said as she picked the paper before Hilde's hands could get it.

Everyone's attention went to Claire as she opened the folded piece of paper.

"Jean Paul Ffleur."

Squeals of laughter could be heard from everyone while some of the girls fell on the carpet in laughter.

Hilde frowned, trying to remember the name.

"Oh god!!! What kind of a name is that!!!" 

"Whose name is that? Don't let Duo hear about it if it was a long lost lover!"

Hilde shook her head. "Honest… I don't remember that name…" She tried remembering anything hinting to it, but she couldn't… Yet somehow… the name kept on tugging at her… 

"Oh I remember this name!"

Hilde instantly looked up at Claire for any knowledge whatsoever. "What? Who is it?"

Claire grinned as she hushed the other girls to silence. "Do you believe in predictions? Soulmates?"

Hilde frowned while the others were caught as Claire started her tale.

"That carnival over there," She pointed at the picture, "Had the most intriguing Madame something… and just for the fun of it, we all went there to get our fortunes told. And the weirdest thing happened when she told Hilde's future…"

Hilde felt the hair at the back of her neck rise as she started remembering that night…

"Her eyeballs went white and instead of just telling the usual jabber about getting a family and all that… she actually said a name!"

Some of the girls gasped while Hilde rubbed her arms, suddenly starting to feel cold.

"And she quickly took a piece of paper and wrote it down for Hilde… and this is it… This is the name of the man she's supposed to marry…"

Nobody talked for a few moments and then somebody started laughing… soon, the entire group was laughing once again, Hilde along with them.

"Can you believe that?!"

"Wonder why Duo's name wasn't on that ball instead since you guys seemed to be the next in line to the altar!" 

The laughter died on Hilde's lips at the sentence and her mood changed. The giggling and laughter slowly ebbed as they noticed Hilde's demeanor.

"Hilde… what's wrong?" 

Hilde didn't answer the prying question.

Silence…

"You know, I have to admit… the first time I saw Duo, I thought that he wouldn't even last a few months and he'll be gone… look at what happened instead… he's been here for almost ten years…"

Hilde gave Claire a gracious smile at the hidden meaning.

"Yeah… it's not as if he's going to just up and leave… I mean, you guys have been living together! Practically married!"

Hilde bit her lower lip and stood up from the group. "I… I think I better go out for a little while…" she whispered before she started walking to the backyard.

She could hear her friends scolding each other as she walked away… 'Friends… what are friends for… right? For opening your eyes…' Hilde thought sarcastically as she opened the door… 

'Not that the past years hadn't been happy… But the chances of getting Duo to ask me to marry him…? Nil…' Hilde thought sadly as she looked up at the infinite lonely dark sky and walked to a shadow by the fence then picked a daisy along the way…

'Or maybe… I'm being too hard on him…?' Hilde thought to herself. 

"Hey Duo, care if I join you?"

Hilde frowned as she heard the familiar voice.

"Sure Carl. Fence is open."

Hilde's eyes widened and she bit her lower lip as she started thinking of how to get away without disturbing the two.

"Makes you think, huh? I mean, PJ's getting married in a few more days…"

Hilde stopped in mid track… 'Marriage… they're talking about marriage…!'

Duo grunted out his response as he took another sip of his drink.

"When are you and your girlfriend gonna get hitched?"

"SPFFOOOSSSHHH!!!" 

Hilde smiled softly as she heard Duo starting to cough… She could just imagine what had happened… Then again… why did he react that way?

"Girlfriend? What girlfriend?"

A sudden sinking feel in her stomach made Hilde gasp, but she was able to muffle it with her hands. Her fingertips grew cold and her heart started beating erratically… Slowly, she reached out a shaking hand to the fence behind her, feeling the sudden wobbliness of her knees… 

"Hey guys!!! Bachelor Party Time!!!!" someone from inside the house called out to the other two.

"Whooooeeee!" Carl cried out as he walked with Duo towards the house.

Tears clouded Hilde's eyes as she watched Duo's back disappear inside the house and in a few more moments, half the noise disappeared…

Hilde closed her eyes as she leaned against the fence and slowly slid down on the dirt while tears slowly trailed down her cheeks…

'Girlfriend… what girlfriend…' Hilde thought numbly as she buried her face into her hands. 

'He's right… he's so right…' When have they ever been an official couple? People just instantly categorized them together… When have they really started being more than friends? Kissing? Were all those just friendly… 'Oh God…'

A sob escaped Hilde's lips as she curled her body into a tighter ball.

A car door slammed from behind the fence and Hilde instantly wiped her tears with her sleeves, knowing that somebody might see her.

The back fence door opened and a short blonde haired woman came inside, carrying a package.

"Iris! Hey! You're late!" Hilde cried out as she walked out of the shadows, her voice as cheerful as she could make it.

"Hey Hilde! Yeah… I am… Sorry 'bout that! I got a long distance call for one of my bros… some guy who lives in Old France."

Hilde smirked sarcastically as she remembered the name on the paper. "Jean Paul Ffleur."

Iris stopped abruptly and one of her packages fell down. "H-how… how did you know?"

Hilde spun around as she heard Iris' incredulous question. "How did I know what?"

Iris stared at Hilde from over the large package she was holding, her eyes wide in wonder. "His name… I mean… I thought it was a funny name… I almost couldn't remember it…"

Hilde's frown deepened. "Name? What name?"

"The one you just said a little while ago..."

Understanding dawned on Hilde and her eyes widened slightly… "Jean Paul Ffleur…"

Hilde half expected a cold breeze to sweep her skirt against her legs or a blast of lightning and thunder… but what she was met with was just silence as the stereos were turned off…

Anger suddenly coursed through Hilde… Anger at what just happened to her a little while ago, and now her friends are playing a prank on her?! How do they expect her to believe this?!

Iris saw Hilde stomp angrily inside the house and quickly grabbed the bag that fell a little while ago and then ran after her just in time to hear-

"WHICH ONE OF YOU CALLED IRIS UP TO MAKE HER PLAY IN ONE OF YOUR TRICKS!!!"

Hilde was met with wide-eyed wonder and half-slackened jaws while Iris came inside the house.

"What's this about?" Iris asked as she placed the packages on the floor.

Hilde glared at the group in front of her. "Well? I'm waiting!"

Claire cleared her throat, catching Hilde's attention. "Hilde… what are you talking about? I mean, you just came in here in a raging rampage and accusing us of something we don't even know about-"

"IRIS! Here! Now!"

Hilde's commanding tone left no room for arguments. Gods! Everyone knows that she's an ex-Oz soldier! But she rarely gets mad!

Iris slowly went to the seat her employer ordered her to go to and sat down.

"Now, tell them exactly what you told me just a little while ago."

Hilde's soft voice was enough to send chills down everyone's spine.

Iris nodded hesitantly, although she really didn't know what she's supposed to talk about! "I… I was apologizing for coming in late… You see, my brother, Jake, you remember him, right?"

She was met with a series of nods while Hilde leaned against a wall.

"Well, he has a friend in Old France that he's supposed to give a package to… and well, you know how he just got into an accident, right?"

Everyone nodded once again while Iris wrung her hands together.

"Well, he was asking me if I could just deliver the package to him… and the man called me just a while ago to talk about the agreement… stuff…."

"The name, Iris… Tell them the name." Hilde said through gritted teeth.

Iris gulped. "Jean Paul Ffleur."

Someone gasped from the group, others frowned while still others stared at Hilde with gaping mouths… 

"So… who did it? I'm asking this one more time and I'm going to let it pass if someone answers me."

Nobody said anything.

"I'm warning you-"

"Hilde!"

Claire's reprimanding tone cut through the red haze Hilde was seeing. She glared up at her older cousin who was, at the moment, looking slightly shaken…

"No one called Iris…"

Hilde shook her head, her anger disappearing… Claire… Claire her most trusted cousin… How could she-

"I'm not lying… no one called Iris…" Claire said once again, seeing where Hilde's train of thought was going to.

Hilde frowned in confusion. "But… if no one called her…" She looked up at each of her friends' incredulous faces then finally, at Claire's own disbelieving face.

Maybe… maybe Duo really isn't for her… 

"He's… real…!" Hilde gasped out as, for the second time that night, her knees felt weak and she fell down onto the carpet, her eyes wide.

"He's real!" It was the only words she could say right now… the only words that could come out of her lips… 

"Hilde…?" Claire asked as she helped her cousin stand up.

Duo had just confirmed that there isn't anything between them just a while ago… why can't she find her own happiness?

"I… I have to find him! I have to look for him…!" Hilde falteringly said as she pushed Claire's hands away.

"Hilde, what about Duo?" Claire asked as she tried to make Hilde look at her.

Hilde shook her head, the pain she felt just a while ago reverberated ten folds. "To hell with what Duo thinks! This is my life! My happiness! I lost too many years on him already! I'm not about to let my real future go."

Hilde looked at Iris. "You're going with me." And with one last twist away from Claire's grasp, she ran out of the house with Iris right behind…

Claire's hand went up to her throat in worry… 'Oh God, Hilde… I hope you know what you're doing…' She faced the others with a solemn look, knowing that she could trust them. 

"No one… and I mean no one, is going to interfere in this one… understand?"

She was met with a series of nods.

~*~

"Hilde… please… Why are you doing this?" Iris asked for the hundredth time that night while she finished signing her note to Duo… Thank God Duo doesn't mind emergency leaves!

"Have you booked us a flight back to Earth Sphere?" 

Iris sighed. "Yes, I've already done that… The flight is in two hours."

"You wrote the note to Duo?"

"For myself, yes… I don't know about you."

A sarcastic laugh came out of Hilde as she zipped up her luggage. "Oh don't worry about me… I'm sure Duo wouldn't even notice that I'm gone… He probably wouldn't even notice if I die!"

Iris' frown deepened at what Hilde just said. "You have to be kidding… He loves you."

"Have you ever heard him say that?" Hilde countered as she went inside her closet… It's touching, really… that some people actually think that they're in love… then again, it hurts because she knows that it's not true…

"Uhm…" 

"Exactly… I haven't either." Hilde said as she extracted three new boxes of shoes and dropped them in another bag.

Iris gulped. Duo's one of her very good friends, so is Hilde… Anybody who sees them knows that they're in love!!! "Does a person have to tell someone that they love someone? Isn't it that action speaks louder than words?"

Hilde stopped to look at Iris, remembering that sudden coughing fit Duo went through earlier. "You are so correct, Iris… so true…" then she went back to packing her bags.

Iris let her hand slide down her face before letting out a groan. 

"I'm finished… let's go to your house and pack."

"But I'm not even supposed to meet him until two days later!" Iris cried out as Hilde pulled her out of the house.

"Change of plans then." Hilde said as she dropped the bags inside the waiting cab and pushed Iris inside, getting in right after.

She glanced to her darkened house knowing Duo will come home drunk… knowing that he'll have one full day of hang over and knowing that… he won't even miss her…

'Good bye… Duo…'

- [Obsolete Love][1]

   [1]: mailto: Obsolete_Love@hotmail.com



	2. Sometimes, Words Get In the Way 2

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Sometimes Words Get In the Way  
Chapter 2  
by Obsolete Love

'Okay… here we go… cake numero tres and…'

The top most of the cake popped open and a woman in black lingerie, leaving almost nothing to the men's imagination, came out and started dancing along with the music… erotically… the way the previous two women lounging with the others did.

Duo took a chance to look at the soon to be groom and saw that though he shows enthusiasm to go with the crowd, his eyes shows his indifference.

'Good… I've got half the mind to punch him if he even tries anything with that girl and hurt Claire.' 

The sudden blast of catcalls and a jerk forward took Duo back to the present and he stared into seductive green eyes.

"Hey handsome… wanna… dance with… me?" 

"WHOOEEE!!! GOO MAXWELL!!!!"

"DUO! You the man!"

'Dear Lord… I hope Hilde won't hear about this…' Duo thought as he flashed the girl one of his mischievous grins. 'The things I do for friends.' He thought as he stood up and plastered his body against hers and they started the 'dance'.

Catcalls became wolf howls. 

It wasn't that he wasn't enjoying himself… but he has this guilty feeling at the back of his mind-

"How about we see each other later tonight… sweetheart."

'There it is… the line…' Duo thought expectantly. He shook his head while he whipped up a good 20 credits from his back pocket.

"Sorry, lady, but this sweetheart is taken." Duo whispered as he pulled her skimpy panty garter and inserted the bill inside.

The woman smiled at him as she gave him a hinting bump. "That's too bad."

'For you, maybe.' Duo thought as he gave one last grin and faced his fellow men and gave a victory sign along with a wink.

Another came up the stage to 'dance' with the cake-girl while Duo just walked to the cooler, grabbed another can of beer then walked out to Jeffrey's balcony.

'Heh… who would have thought… Maxwell turning down that offer from a beautiful lady…' Duo thought sarcastically as he sipped his beer and leaned on the railings. 'I must be losing my touch…'

"Hey dude… Mind if I join you?"

Duo turned his head slightly to look at PJ. "Help yourself. Although… shouldn't you be enjoying yourself in there?"

PJ laughed. "Nah… don't want Claire having a case against my ass when the time comes."

Duo grinned. "Yep… women, eh?"

"Yeah… women… As the saying goes- can't live with them… can't live without them…"

A beer can popped open and the sound of air going out replaced their conversation.

Duo tipped his can to his lips.

"So, when are you and your girlfriend going to get hitched?"

"SPFFOOOSSSHHH!!!"

A series of coughs and wheezes could be heard from Duo while PJ slapped his back. 

"Hey man… you okay?"

Duo shook his head to clear it, making his long, braided hair sway this way and that. "You know… you're the second man who've asked me that question today."

PJ grinned. "Well? It's obvious that's why… I mean, Hilde is your girlfriend… you've been living with each other for the past few years… I mean, hell! You're like a married couple when you fight! So what are you afraid of?"

A sigh escaped Duo's lips as he stared out into the night. "I don't know…" Hilde's face came into view. Few years? They've known each other for nearly ten years already!

"You know, I never really thought of Hilde as a 'girlfriend'… I mean, have you ever heard me say my girlfriend Hilde?" Duo said, trying to reason why every time he hears the word 'girlfriend' and Hilde, it just doesn't mix.

"Come to think of it…" 

"Yep… never…" Duo took a sip of his beer. "I call her-"

"My Hilde." PJ finished for him. 

Duo nodded. 'My Hilde'… 

"Heh, Duo… Sounds very possessive, man."

Duo shrugged. "Maybe it does but 'girlfriend' is just a term. Hilde is her name… I would rather use the real name than a so called term."

PJ shook his head in slight disbelief at the serious conversation they're having… Not that he thinks that Maxwell doesn't have a serious side, but… "Duo, I think the beer's getting to you too much already… we're starting to talk serious stuff here."

Duo glanced at PJ and grinned. "Yeah… You're right. Too serious! Not at all like me!" He checked his watch, wanting to cover the sudden embarrassment he's feeling at the moment and grimaced at the time. "Geez!!! It's 3 already?!" Duo's mind raced to the load he needs to face tomorrow-

"What? Hilde's curfew?" PJ teased as he took Duo's beer in his other hand.

"Nope! But I've got some major work to do tomorrow." Duo answered as he gave a thankful smile to PJ. "Great party, Patrik. See you at the dump tomorrow."

"Duo! Don't be surprised if nobody shows up! Hang overs and stuff!" Patrik called back, his only response is the bobbing of Duo's long braid.

Grinning at the departing figure, he walked back to the party.

~*~

Duo stopped in front of Hilde's room, his hand pausing in mid-knock. If she's sleeping already, he doesn't want to wake her up…

"Ah well… Good night, my Hilde…" Duo whispered with a soft smile before walking to his own room.

He sighed, slumping against the door to close it while one of his hands went up to his forehead.

'Seems like everyone's expecting us to get married soon…' Duo thought with a slight laugh. 

He took off his shirt, revealing a well-toned chest, then flexed his muscles.

"Maybe I should start practicing…" Duo whispered as he plopped down on his bed, crossed his ankles and cradled his head on his hands.

"Hilde… would you marry me…" Duo grimaced. "Hilde, baby, marry me." Duo made gagging noises. "Hilde, darling, I'm asking for your hand in marriage…"

Duo's right eyebrow shot up along with his left upper lip.

"Jezus! Where'd that line come from!" Duo muttered before pulling his blankets over his body. "Hilde'll die laughing before she says yes with that line!"

Duo punched his pillow nervously. "Okay… just relax… let everything flow… the time will come and then it will be perfect…" He breathed in and out, trying to calm his frayed nerves.

'Jeeze!!! If you're this nervous just practicing, Maxwell, wait 'till the real deal hits you!' the unbidden thought came from nowhere.

Duo groaned and buried his head in the pillow.

~*~

__

'Had to go to Old France for my brother. I'll be back as soon as I can. Sorry for the late notice- Iris.'

Duo crumpled up the piece of stick-note and dropped it in the can. "Well… at least she got the week's job done…" Duo sighed as he took one of the checklists and walked off the lot, passing Hilde's closed office door.

"Gee… someone sure has been tired from last night's partying." He muttered with a mischievous grin before going to the lot.

According to yesterday's results, about 3,000 ton of scrap is profitable in the new pile… Take 25% of his 50% off… Hilde wouldn't notice… 

Duo's eyes widened as he calculated the ending balance-

"I MADE IT!" Duo let out a whoop of victory. It's over… By today, just as soon as he delivers these pieces off, it's over!

Joy coursed through his body and he nearly made a stupid dance on top of one of the steel piles when he stopped.

He looked at Hilde's closed office door and bit his lower lip… Nervousness started suffocating him once again. "I hope she doesn't say no…"

~*~

Duo frowned as he stopped in front of Hilde's still closed door. It's past 1500 hours already and she's still not here?

"Er… sorry, I didn't get that last one." Duo mumbled as he heard his name repeated over and over again on the earpiece.

"Okay… That's fine. Send a truck over to my place and ship it off on that day. Thanks Fred." Duo replaced the receiver back on the line, still staring at Hilde's office door…

'It's not like her…' Duo shook his head, accentuating what he knew. 'I mean… sure she oversleeps… but…' he looked at the phone once again. 'It's not as if I'm checking up on her… right?' Duo nodded. 'Right… I'm not checking up on her… She hates it when people check up on her…'

He dialed Hilde's phone number, the phone connected in her bedroom.

No answer…

'Okay… maybe… well…'Duo placed the phone back in place. 'Maybe she spent the night at Claire's… Fixing up after the party…' Duo nodded once again, his worry easing. 'Yeah… it's exactly what Hilde will do… help… of course! Why didn't I think of that before?!'

He grinned, stomping on the last bit of worry that was nagging him at the back of his head and going back to work…

'She'll probably be back tonight… or tomorrow morning… Yeah… that's it…'

~*~

Duo stretched on his bed, not really wanting to get up, but the incessant ringing isn't stopping…

'Heh… maybe Hilde forgot her keys…'

For a moment, he didn't move… then Duo sat bolt up as the thought seeped into his sleep numbed brain and instantly ran out of his room to the front door, opening it.

"Hilde! Man! I missed y-"

The words died on Duo's lips as he stared into ice cold, Prussian blue eyes… 

Violet eyes widened.

"Wrong person, Duo."

"Heero…!"

Heero nodded slightly as he took in Duo's ruffled long hair- for once, out of its braid- and sleepy, shocked face. Sleepy, shocked face that at the moment, is developing into … okay… there's that deadly mischievous grin of his…

"Heero! My man, how ya been! I can't say that I didn't miss you! Come in, dude!"

'Why is it that I always feel like he's up to something?' Heero thought guardedly as Duo plopped down on a chair and motioned for Heero to do the same.

Duo took in his friend's plain blue jeans and white shirt ensemble, and the jacket that's hanging over his shoulder… Now where's the… 'Ah! There it is! Heero never leaves home without one.' Duo thought as he caught a glimpse of a black R-79 behind Heero. 'Whoa! New model too!'

"You and Hilde had a fight again?"

Duo blinked for a couple of seconds before shaking his head vigorously. "No! Come on! What gave you _that _idea?!"

Heero leaned back into the sofa, his face emotionless. "You nearly plowed me to the ground. You were about 5 inches away from my face, considering the velocity you accumulated running from the moment you got out of your room to the moment-"

"Geeze! Stop! You're making my head ache! Too early for this, Heero!" Duo complained with a grimace. 'Trust Heero to make all those numbers… He's almost right anyway…'

"It's already 8:30. How do you expect to run a business if the owners are still in bed?" Heero saw, to his delight, the sudden fire that glowed in Duo's eyes.

"Excuse me, but we're doing perfectly well. It's just that I was…" Duo's voice trailed, not wanting to tell Heero that he'd been awake all night, worrying about where Hilde is… She hasn't called… hadn't even left a message on the answering machine… hasn't-

Heero shook his head… Whenever Duo's not ready, his feelings show too freely through his eyes… and right now, Heero could read him like a book. "Why don't you look for her?"

"She hates it when people check up on her." Duo answered, slumping in his chair then he frowned as he glared at Heero. "HEY!!! How'd you know?!"

Heero didn't answer, just sat there, watching him.

"Ergh… Just like talking to stone. Come on, Heero! Talk to me!" Duo coaxed with a friendly grin. Now what's the best topic of conversation… 'Ah hah!'

'Okay… here we go… what's with that devilish glint in his eyes?' Heero asked himself, readying for battle.

"How's Relena, by the way?"

Heero remained impassive.

Duo didn't show his disappointment at the lack of emotion.

"I don't know. I'm not in charge of her, Wufei is."

Heero saw his friend's nose wrinkle.

"Oh yeah… forgot about that… The unit doing alright?"

"So far. I don't really do much for the main."

Duo nodded. 'Of course… Quatre did mention something about Heero just helping with odds and ends… Ah well… stop with the chit-chat… gotta see what you want, bud.'

"Whadaya need, Heero?" Duo asked as he leaned on his elbow, steadying it over his jogging pants clad legs.

"200 tons of Titanium Alloy. Sheets, plates, foils, strips. Whatever you have, the base will do the melting in the new consumable electrode vacuum. It's for the aerospace link. Une will handle the payment, I'll do the shipping."

Duo nodded, already calculating the transaction. "No Preventer's nomenclature? Plates… CP's?"

Heero shook his head, noticing the sudden seriousness around Duo. "Just whatever you have."

Duo nodded, but there's something nagging him... "Funny… you're just going to do the shipping? I mean, that's a light job for someone with your talents… Where's the destination?"

'Trapped… Duo does have a mind when he uses it…' Heero remained impassive.

Duo tried to shoot a guess. "It wouldn't be that new colony- CT1-452 now, is it? I mean, Ms. Peacecraft is there, giving a speech, if I recall my news correctly."

Duo saw the smallest hint of reaction from Heero and knew he was right… 

"Do you have them or not? I need it ASAP." Heero's cutting monotone made Duo smirk.

"Yep, of course… the sooner you get there, the sooner you get to see Relena."

'This man never lets up.' Heero thought almost… cheerfully. Light banters with Duo are always… slightly fun. "Duo, do you have a death wish?"

Duo grinned. "Hey, I'm Shinigami. I'm the one who grants those wishes."

Heero was about to counter when the vid-phone started ringing.

Duo's grin widened. 'Heh! Last word, pardner!' He couldn't help the chuckle that came out. "Just a min, Heero. Gotta answer this."

Heero's eyes turned into a slight glare as he watched Duo reach over the other end of the sofa and turn on the screen.

"Duo! You have to come here right away! I think Hilde's falling in love with the wrong guy!"

by: [Obsolete Love][1]

   [1]: mailto:Obsolete_Love@hotmail.com



	3. Sometimes, Words Get In the Way 3

****

Sometimes Words Get In the Way  
Chapter 3  
by: Obsolete Love

Heero watched as Duo dropped an armful of clothes inside a black sailor knapsack, then pulled out his usual black outfit from the lot. He hasn't seen that outfit since… 'Hmm, long time ago.' He watched his friend move automatically. Duo's fingers moved like lightning as it braided his hair neatly down his back and finally, he donned on his favorite black coveralls and boots.

'What happened here?' Heero asked himself as he unconsciously picked a shirt from the floor and deposited it on the dresser beside him. 

Even when he could only see half of Duo's face after the girl told him the news, he could see and feel the blast of emotional pain… And when Duo had looked at him… it seemed as if he had just been to hell and seen all the goddamned souls being recklessly tortured. Pain like no other.

He had watched silently as Duo dialed the airport and calmly booked a flight… His calmness was unnerving, though. He was too calm… But inside, through those usually merry violet eyes, he could see turbulence…

Heero jerked himself out of his stupor when he heard Duo curse inside the bathroom.

"How could she do this?! I mean… I was never disloyal!!! Why?!"

'Yes… why…' Heero thought, trying to understand… He could feel so much anger against Hilde right now… So much anger as though it was he who was betrayed… Is this how friends are supposed to feel? 

"Old France to some idiot with a stupid name! I mean, Zhahn Pauhl Ffle-whatever! A chateau in the country… a resort by the beach… a dang memorial dedicated to his rotten family name!"

Duo came out of the bathroom and kicked his cabinet close. "Why the heck am I even packing?! Why don't I just let her go and to hell with it?! To hell with her!"

Heero watched as Duo stopped and faced his bed… then slowly, his friend's eyes tilted up and faced his… Eyes brimmed with unshed tears… Fists clenched tightly by his sides…

He didn't have anything to say… He couldn't. He doesn't… At the moment, Duo seemed to him, one of the strongest people he knew, maybe even the strongest… To be able to take this news and… still want to fight for her…

"You want to fight for her… that's why…" Heero nearly frowned when he heard his own voice filter through the room.

Duo shook his head as Heero's words dropped on him. 

"She's your happiness… and you don't want to lose her…" Heero frowned… where are those words coming from?

Duo shook his head once again, but Heero saw a sad grin on his friend's face.

"You know, Heero… once you open your mouth, you're just like Trowa… The things you say always have significance…"

Duo picked up his sack and his passport then walked to Heero, gratitude showing in his eyes. "Thanks, buddy." Duo whispered before giving Heero a half hug.

Heero's eyes widened slightly at the friendly gesture, but it was a quick enough hug and Duo was already running down the hallway. 

"Heero! Help yourself at the yard! Wish me luck! I'm going to get her back!"

Then, the door slammed. 

Heero looked around the empty house with mixed feelings… He suddenly felt a protectiveness over Duo… almost akin to how he feels about Relena, but different, almost as if… family…

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he walked out of the house, and locked it. He's sure about one thing though… He's going to look for Hilde and see what game she's playing…

But for now…

"How the hell am I going to distinguish what Titanium alloy is?!" Heero muttered angrily under his breath while he walked to the yard, and hoped that one of Duo's workers was there. 

~*~

Duo twisted, grabbed, untwisted, pulled, and grappled the stress stick he bought from one of the shops inside the airport while he sat in his seat.

'Not helping…' Duo thought sadly as he let go of the stick and let it fall onto his lap… 

His whole world just shattered in front of his eyes… His hopes, his dreams… his future… it's all twirling down the drain and he couldn't plug it…

He wasn't able to get much information from Iris… He didn't know what came over him when he started asking for _the jerk's_ name and where they're staying… Telling Iris to book him a room and to meet him when he calls her instead of asking for more info.

'God! What was I thinking?! I should have been more level headed!' Duo smirked sarcastically. 'You've been through war with a good head on your shoulders and now, this. It was suddenly severed with your own scythe…'

All he could think about was getting to Hilde and making her see him again…

Duo sighed as he slumped deeper in his chair. 'Hilde… You couldn't… you can't love another man… you just can't…'

~*~

"Where is she?" Duo demanded as soon as he saw the familiar blonde woman running towards him.

Iris stopped in the middle of the busy floor and let an angry Duo stride to her. "I… I don't know. She went out on a date with him."

"A DATE?!" Duo bellowed, attracting curious stares from other people.

Iris swallowed hard to contain her embarrassment. "Duo please! How are you going to be able to see through this if you're angry?"

"Angry? Me? Angry? Who's angry?" Duo asked as his death grip tightened on the stress stick, pulling it on either ends.

Iris looked at the poor stick significantly. Duo looked down, saw what he was doing and blushed slightly as he let go of his frustrated grip. 

"Let's go and I'll tell you all I know so far." Iris offered as she tugged at Duo's arm.

~*~

"HE WHAT?!!!" Duo bellowed out at Iris who cringed and willed her shaking fingers to grip the steering wheel of the rental car gently…

"Duo! Do you want us to get into an accident?! I want to live, you know!" Iris snapped back. She's under pressure herself! She couldn't stand seeing Hilde and that Jean together! They're just not right!

Duo sighed. "Sorry, Ris. I didn't mean it."

"You've done it four times for the last two miles! I know that you mean it!"

Duo grimaced. "But hell! He kissed her hand and he gave her roses and he kissed her on the lips all in the span of one day?! Not to mention that they went out to dinner and probably danced and now they're together again! How'd you expect me not to react to that?!"

Iris willed herself to mentally count backward from 20. By the time she was finished, she thanked God that the hotel was just around the corner.

"Well?" Duo asked for the fifth time.

Iris sighed as she parked. "Duo, you're reacting the way all men should given the situation. Jealousy is a part of a rela-"

"I'm not JEALOUS!!!" Duo cried out as he slammed the trunk close.

"DUO MAXWELL! IF YOU DON'T STOP BEHAVING LIKE AN IMMATURE HOMOSAPIEN, I'M NOT GOING TO HELP YOU!!!!"

Duo blinked a couple of times, as if to clear a haze from his eyes, and saw that the usually placid Iris, Ph.D. in BioChem Iris was utterly… mad.

His head hung in deject. "I'm sorry, Iris… really…"

Iris nodded as she tried to calm her frayed nerves. "First, let's get you checked in and we'll discuss about Hilde over lunch. I'm starving and I'm sure you are too."

Her voice left no room for argument and Duo willingly complied… His brains have gone haywire… he couldn't think… the only thing flitting in his mind was the thought that he might lose Hilde…

~*~

"So you want me to act as if everything is fine? Are you nuts?!" Duo cried out in a hushed tone. Then he shook his head. "Oh yeah! Right of course you're nuts! Bio chem doctor here in front of me! Maybe I should just go to a psychiatrist!"

Iris looked around and so did Duo. Obviously, they got everyone's attention with the way they were being looked at.

"Ah hehehe…" Duo instantly slumped in his chair and promptly hid his face in the menu.

"Actually, Duo… what I want you to do is to lie low and not let Hilde see you… She doesn't know that I called you and if she does, she'll get mad at me. Not to mention that she'll think badly of you because you're checking up on her and when you tell her that she can't go out with him she'll grow angrier because she doesn't like people telling her what to do."

With each word Iris said, Duo felt the burden on his chest become heavier… 

"Shoot! Now I lost my appetite." Iris muttered as she dropped the menu on the table in frustration.

Duo sighed and did the same thing. "Let's just order room service in your suite… I don't think I can stand prying eyes any longer."

Iris looked around and blushed at the passing glances everyone's been giving them. "I think you're right, Duo…"

The two stood up and quickly walked to the elevator to escape…

~*~

"May I use your restroom for a minute?" Duo asked as he looked around the elegant suite. 

Iris covered the silver and placed the table napkins on the cart. "Sure, go ahead. It's the last door to the right."

Duo nodded and proceeded to the room while Iris walked to the phone to tell room service that they were finished…

~*~

Hilde sighed as she walked up the stairs… Not that she hates elevators… it's just that she needs to think right now… Jean Paul was absolutely… the perfect gentleman… 

Sweet…

Hilde tilted the long stemmed red rose to her nose and smiled against the velvety texture of its petals.

Charming…

She remembered the way he opened each door, moved each chair… their light conversations…

Handsome…

His wavy black hair and high cheekbones… straight Roman nose and firm… lips…

And definitely… everything! He loves art, music, theatre… intelligent conversations, light banters… 

But why is it… why is it that there was that something missing…?

Sparkling, merry violet eyes invaded her previous image of Jean and Hilde quickly shook her head.

"Oh go away Duo…" Hilde sighed as she opened the door to her floor. "It's not as if you ever told me how you felt about me…"

She was about to pass by Iris' room when she suddenly felt the need for a familiar face… There was no need to show Iris that everything was not going well with Jean- not that it wasn't going well… 

Hilde opened the door with a wide smile on her face and saw her friend by the telephone. "Iris! I just had the most wonderful afternoon with Jean! He took me sight seeing to his chateau! Oh it was magnificent!" Hilde saw Iris' eyes widen… 'Probably surprised to see me…'

"The little devil tried to kiss me under the lover's tree…" Hilde giggled as she twirled the rose under her nose. "You're probably wondering why I'm home early… he invited me to dinner tonight, at his villa…" Hilde's voice faded at the panicked look on Iris' face.

"What? What is it?" Hilde asked as she slowly turned around… 

A tumult of emotion crashed against her as she stared into those familiar eyes that, at the moment, looked so hurt… at that man she had thought… 'Oh God… why now?'

"Hello, Hilde…" Duo said as casually as he could as he walked up to her.

Hilde swallowed, straightened her back and tilted her chin. "Hello, Duo."

Iris could feel the tension between the two as they stared at each other, their eyes clashed with unsaid arguments-

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Iris grimaced at Duo's bellow. She saw Hilde's eyes spark with fire and knew that right then and there… she had seen the beginning to the end…

"This man might be a… a killer! A rapist! A damn assassin!"

"For your information, Duo Maxwell! He's a gentleman! He's the most perfect gentleman I've ever met! He's… he's got taste, he's got charm… he knows how to eat properly and he's neat! Not to mention that he owns his own company and is romantic and not a chauvinist!" Hilde's pent-up anger got out of her cage as she blasted at Duo. Years of showing him how much she cared for him… how much she feels for him, and he doesn't even acknowledge her as…

Duo felt his breath knocked out of him at the things Hilde pointed out to him, defending that man, whoever he was… and pointing out… pointing out the things he's weak at…

Nothing more to say for now… nothing more…

With one last angry look at Hilde, Duo turned around and walked out of the room. The door slammed his good bye.

Hilde looked away. 'God! Did those words actually came out of my mouth?!' She could feel tears forming in her eyes…

"Hilde…"

At the sound of her friend's meek voice, Hilde started to move. "Iris, shut up. I don't want to hear it." She whispered as she walked out of Iris' room and into her own, fell down onto her bed and wept in frustration…

She knows… God she knows that she'd hurt Duo just a while ago… 

It's not that he's not neat… he's got his days… its not that he's not charming… its not that he doesn't have manners… truth be told… Jean and Duo were in the same class… but there's just one different thing between the two… For the past years that they had been together, he never acknowledged their relationship, while with only two days of going out with Jean, he had already acknowledged her as his lady to everyone he knew…

"I've already said my good bye… don't make me say it out loud, Duo…" Hilde whispered against the pillows as she cried… 

She knows that she has to get ready for her date with Jean tonight… but right now, she couldn't seem to stop crying…

~*~

Iris slowly walked into the hotel bar. Her eyes instantly zoomed to the depressing figure drinking to his heart's content, and chatting with the bar tender…

If it weren't such a real thing, Iris would have laughed at the irony of it all… They do say that bar tenders were the priests of drunk men… and from the glasses in front of Duo, he's drank more than enough in the ten minutes that he's been gone…

"… Can you believe it? Sheesh! Women! Who could understand them!"

Iris sighed in relief, not hearing any slurred words in Duo's sentence.

"Yeah, I know what you mean… Some of them are just…" The bar tender sighed.

"Correctly said, my man." Duo replied as he plunked the glass in front of him. "Another."

Iris shook her head. This is the first time she'd ever seen Duo in such a depressed state. "You know, drinking doesn't help."

"Iris, when I want your opinion, I'll ask for it." Duo grumbled as he grabbed the glass in front of him.

Iris held on to her temper… 'It's the alcohol talking… not him.' She breathed in for control. "Duo, I'm not going to leave you here like this."

Duo shrugged. "Fine… Do whatever you like, Iris."

Iris looked at the bar tender who shook his head. With a sigh of someone who had just given up, Iris sat next to Duo and got herself comfortable. Besides… 'How long will it take him to drink himself to misery, anyway?'

~*~

Iris shook her head and glanced at her watch. She blinked and stared once again. 'Jeeze! I've been here for four hours already?!' Iris asked herself and quickly looked over at Duo who was still drinking.

'Dear Lord! If there's any drinking contest, I know whom I'm going to be rooting for!' 

"Duo… don't you think-"

Hilde's laughter reached her ears, and stopped whatever she was about to say in her mouth.

She saw Duo's glassy eyes transfer its attention from the alcohol in front of him to the couple just walking down the grand stairs.

Iris groaned inwardly… 'God… Trouble…'

Duo saw Hilde with a man's arm around her shoulders… Nobody needed to tell him that this high cheek-boned, straight nosed, pale skinned peon was Jean… The same Jean stealing his Hilde from him…

It all seemed unrealistic to Iris as Duo ambled to take a stand and walked, as calmly as he could, to the man- Jean… and Hilde.

Iris quickly went in front of him. "Duo… Please, I think you shouldn't-"

Duo gave her a glare akin to the ones Heero gave him before and left Iris in stunned shock. She could only watch Duo reach the unsuspecting couple…

His hand went back…

Hilde turned and her eyes widened…

Before anyone could do anything-

The sound of knuckles connecting with a man's nose resounded throughout the room.

Time seemed to stand still for that moment…

Blood spurted out of Jean's nose as he bent down to hold his face, and groan in pain, while Hilde, eyes blazing with hate, faced Duo and slapped him right across his face…

"Stay away from me!" Hilde cried out as she looped an arm around Jean and walked out of the hotel.

Iris could only stare at the event in shock… She'd never… it was so rare to see Duo get mad… rarer still to see him do any physical damage to anyone… and this…

That seemed to shake Duo back to consciousness as he glowered at everyone and walked to the elevator with as much dignity as he could muster…

Even his triumph was short lived… It was satisfying to hear that crunching sound as his fist connected with that Jean's face… but…

Duo's hand went up to his numb face, the sting of Hilde's slap could still be felt on his cheek, and not to mention the slight ringing that was echoing in his ears.

His hatred for the man doubled as he walked into his room, and went straight to his bathroom to wash off the blood that covered his knuckles…

Duo looked at his reflection in the mirror… took in his drunken state and slammed a hand against the door as a set of expletives left his lips.

He ruined it big time with Hilde… 

__

'Stay away from me!'

Hilde's voice resonated in his mind and he placed both his hands over his ears as if to try to stop the onslaught of her words…

"Definitely ruined it…"

- [Obsolete Love][1]

   [1]: mailto: Obsolete_Love@hotmail.com



	4. Sometimes, Words Get In the Way 4

Whispers of the Heart

**Sometimes Words Get In the Way  
**Chapter 4  
by: Obsolete Love

The whole night was a complete disaster…

"Damn that Duo Maxwell!!! Where'd he get off thinking he could punch anyone he felt like punching?!" Hilde asked herself as she gripped the hairbrush with her hands, pushed it down against her scalp and then threw it away into the sink.

"The idiot was drunk! Embarrassingly drunk!" Hilde cried out to her image on the mirror, reliving the scenes from last night.

God! She wanted to be swallowed into the earth at what Duo did to Jean! Thank Almighty that Jean just shook his head and said everything was fine…

_'Just warn me when he's around again…' _

No embarrassing questions asked… no expletives said… Just gracefully and humorously took the whole situation like the perfect gentleman that he was.

"Why can't you be like him, Duo?" Hilde asked for the hundredth time as she walked to her closet and took out the sundress she was going to wear for her outing with Jean… "Maxwell, just be happy he didn't sue you for breaking his nose." Hilde pulled the zipper behind her…

She checked her appearance once again, brushed on some blush on her cheeks when she heard a knock on her door…

"Who is it?"

"Jean." His nasal twang was more pronounced and Hilde felt guilt course through her once again, knowing that it was Duo's fault for making Jean's voice so…

"I'm coming!" Hilde cried out as she walked to the door, opened it then gasped at the sight of overflowing red roses that hid Jean's face.

"Oh Jean… You shouldn't have…" Hilde whispered as she took the roses from his hands, and finally saw the bandage over his nose… "I'm the one who's supposed to be apologizing for what that jerk did to you last night!"

Jean shook his head. "It is alright, mon cheri… All's fair in love and war, is it not?"

Hilde grimaced the moment she turned from him to put the flowers on the table. 'War maybe… but not love…'

"Ready?"

Hilde nodded as she walked back to Jean and placed her hand in the crook of his arm. 'Duo… why can't you be more like Jean…'

Hilde closed her door…

~*~

Duo slowly placed shaking fingers on his temple as the throbbing increased- almost as if his head was inside a drum being beaten to a pulp.

'God! Where's that drum and I'm going to put a hole through it with Wing's blaster cannon…' 

Duo sluggishly opened one eye and grimaced at the brightness around him, closing it once again… 

'Feels as if the whole damn sun is in front of me…' 

Knowing what could happen if he stands up too quickly, Duo carefully forced his limbs to work to get his butt off the bed so he could shut his shutters and get forty more winks…

"Heh… If I'm lucky, I'd just die in my sleep…"

His whole mouth felt like a handful of cotton had been pushed inside… the way his voice sounded so unfamiliar wasn't a big help either…

'Oh thank God!' Duo thought as he finally righted himself. Suddenly, his eyes popped open and both his hands went over his numb, dry lips as he felt his stomach suddenly churn.

He didn't care that his whole world blacked for a few seconds or that his feet nearly stumbled… His eyes were only focused on one thing… Just one thing…

The sickening sound of someone gagging and vomiting was suddenly heard through out the room… disgusting… vile… corrupted system by alcohol…

But what he could feel physically could not be compared to what he's feeling about himself…

Lower… much lower…

~*~

Iris walked to Duo's door and was about to knock when she stopped herself and shook her head…

She's already in this too deep… She had already meddled too much between her two good friends… 

All she could hope right now was for the best… unless…

Hope glistened in Iris' eyes as… It's a risk she needs to take… but if it could open Hilde's eyes to what Duo couldn't seem to say… then she would do it…

~*~

Hilde sighed as she went inside her room… She almost stopped to knock on Duo's door, but she remembered the situation and was able to stop herself from doing so…

Tonight, though, that feeling of something amiss seemed more pronounced in their outing and dinner… Hilde opened her doors to the balcony and stepped out, a sad smile on her face as the cold wind whipped against her…

She could remember… almost a night like this… cold and starless… just standing outside in her backyard and then… his hands went around her shoulders… embraced her… made her feel so warm…

'Oh God, Hilde! Just forget about him…' she reprimanded, though rather weakly… 

"What game are you playing?" 

The cutting monotonous tone made Hilde gasp and turn around. "Who are you?!"

Her eyes traveled along the expanse of her room, searched within the shadows until she saw his form…

Familiar… 

Hilde's eyes squinted and her eyes darted for any possible weapon as the man started to move…

Heero walked forward to the moonlight to let his face show… to reveal to Hilde that he was not an enemy… But with what he's feeling at the moment… Right after he saw Duo's dejected sleeping form sprawled on top of the bed… Hilde could very well be an enemy to him…

"Heero!" Hilde gasped out in shock as her assailant reached the soft moonlight. "What are you-"

"I asked you once… what's your game, Hilde."

Reason entered Hilde's mind… Reason and slight shock… She knew Duo holds the highest respect for Heero… knew that in a way, Duo considered Heero as one of his best friends, though for the life of her she doesn't know why since Heero rarely passes by, or calls him up or anything! And it seemed… Heero considered Duo his friend too…

"Did Duo call you to ask me these questions?" Hilde asked, her voice just as cold as Heero's as she walked into the living room and sat in one of the couches.

Heero didn't wait for the invitation as he grabbed a seat for himself also. "No… he didn't call… I passed by when he learned that you left."

Hilde felt the same guilty feeling nag at her once again. 

"The question, Hilde… Answer it."

"Or what? You're going to shoot me?" Hilde retorted, not knowing where she got her courage… This was Heero Yuy she's sitting in front of… Killing was instinctive.

"The offer, though tempting, will not happen. I don't want to cause Duo any more suffering than what he's feeling at the moment. Now what's your answer."

Hilde shook her head… How many times had she listened to Duo's worries about his other Gundam comrades? Too many times… 

"Game, Heero? I could ask you the same question… What's the game you're playing with Relena?"

Hilde saw an almost indecipherable flinch in those eyes and knew that she'd hit a nerve.

"This isn't about me-"

"Oh yes it is!" Hilde cut in. She doesn't care if he has a semi-automatic rifle in his pocket… With what she had been feeling these couple of days, she might as well be dead! "Do you know how it feels like to long for someone, to love someone for so long… so long… trusting only what one feels-" Hilde pounded her chest, where her heart is, while her eyes clouded. "-not knowing how the other feels…" Hilde turned around. She does not want Heero to see her tears.

Heero felt as if someone had just pricked a hundred needles into his chest… 

"It gets old… you start to feel depressed… deprived…" Hilde continued in a soft whisper. 'Love… was it supposed to be patient…? Does it not have its limits also?'

For the life of him… Heero didn't know why he asked the next question… "What does that have to do with me?"

Heero's question washed over Hilde and made her mood darker… 'Men… so dense…' She shook her head. "Don't you think that Relena's feeling the same way?"

Heero's eyes widened, hidden against shadows… He could remember… Has it been so long…

"She loves you, you know…" Hilde whispered against the night sky and told Heero what Duo had told her… What Duo had heard…

Heero closed his eyes as his heart started beating erratically against his chest… as his breathing became haggard… He needs to remain calm… to concentrate. How was she able to dodge his questions and force it back to him? Ah God… Relena… No! Duo needs his help right now… "I can tell you the same thing about Duo."

Hilde's sarcastic laughter filled the air around them. She turned to face Heero once again while she shook her head from side to side. "Good one, Heero… Tell me… when did you hear him say that?"

"Sometimes… actions speaks louder than words…" Heero countered, trying not to feel daunted by Hilde's laughter… and that sarcastic grin.

"Not a good enough argument, Heero… Words still mean something… even if the person had said 'I love you' just once… it will stay as a memory, just as strong…"

"There are people who cannot say those words-"

"Then they have to learn!" Hilde cried out. Her eyes blazed with passion on the subject. "It is not fair to expect just one person saying it continuously!"

'Why is it that it feels as if she's trying to tell me something…?' Heero asked, starting to feel confused.

"Heero, just leave… There's nothing you can do right now… You can't even help yourself."

'A knife stabbed to my back… Gods that hurt…' Heero hid his grimace as well as he could. Maybe he couldn't help himself… right now… but he won't back down from trying to help a… friend.

"I won't until you hear me out, Hilde…" Heero started as he stared into Hilde's midnight blue eyes, and tried to make her see that he's not going to back down and that he's truthful…

"Duo loves you-" Heero put up a hand to stop Hilde as he saw her open her lips. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest instead. "How do I know? Because I heard him say it…" He saw the look of disbelief pass over her face…

"I didn't hear him say it recently… but I did hear him say it a long time ago… when we came in after we won the war and you were still lying in your bed, unconscious from the wounds you got from trying to get us that disk…"

Hilde remembered those long forgotten memories… She could have fought better… She could have-

"Duo went straight to your room after he helped Trowa with Quatre… I don't know why I did it… but I wanted to be sure that everyone was alright… I passed by your room and saw Duo kneeling by your side, your hand clasped near to his lips while he asked God why you hadn't woken up, yet… While he asked God why it was you in a coma when it should be him… While he asked God why everyone he loves… he takes away…"

Hilde could feel tears form in her eyes and tilted her head away from Heero's probing eyes… 'It didn't happen… It couldn't have happen… Heero why are you doing this to me?!' Hilde cried out as nameless emotions poured out of her soul once again… emotions she had tried to hide since she had left for Earth Sphere…

Heero sighed inwardly as Hilde looked away from him… He could not do anything more than this… 'Duo… my friend… If you didn't want her to know what had happened… I am sorry… I had to try…'

Hilde heard the faint whisper of the couch as Heero stood up… She shouldn't let him go thinking that he was able to break her… 

"Yuy, I think that that was the longest speech I had ever heard you say." 

Her voice sounded indifferent, but Heero could tell the slightly lowered tone that people use when they were trying to fight the urge to cry… 

He reached the door and opened it. "You're wrong, Hilde… The longest one was about war." Then he closed it behind him… He only stood outside her door for a few seconds then his feet took him to the other side of the floor… He stopped just outside the door he came out of before he let himself inside Hilde's room…

Hilde's words rang in his mind again and again… It made him want to think… 

'Good Luck… Duo…' it was the only thing he could think of to say at the moment… Duo doesn't know that he's here… doesn't know that he'd talked to Hilde… 

'What the hell is happening to me?' Heero asked himself as he started walking to the elevators… Years ago, he wouldn't even want to meddle with these things… years ago, he wouldn't even care… Why now…?

'Why…?'


	5. Sometimes, Words Get In the Way 5

Whispers of the Heart

** Sometimes Words Get In the Way  
Chapter 5  
by: Obsolete Love**

Duo leaned against the balcony railings while he contemplated on his next move… No point in asking how Hilde feels about him… After what he did to that guy… she probably hates him…

'Funny that she only slapped me when she could've punched me instead…'

Duo grimaced. "Hell, Duo! You want to get a black eye?"

He really couldn't remember much of what happened that night… everything was too blurry… and yesterday… 

Man! Yesterday he was a damn wreck… He's just happy he found some sleeping pills in the bathroom… helped him get through the day from hell… Just a pill each time he woke up… Ironic that he didn't die from overdose.

"So what do you do now…?" Duo whispered once again, propped his chin on the railings, and stared at the cars going in and out of the hotel…

He could remember quite clearly the time when he learned that he loved her… Damn White Fang nearly killed her… 

Every night that he could, he visited her… made sure that he talked to her because he read somewhere that even when a person was sleeping… there's a chance that they could hear you… 

Words spilled from his mouth… words he couldn't tell her up front… "Heh… that's probably the only thing me and Yuy have in common aside from the Gundams…"

Suddenly, familiar midnight blue hair came into view… Hilde… No one else could have it… he could tell from way up here…

To his chagrin, a man came up to her side and looped an arm around her waist… Hilde laughed up at him, adding salt to his bare wounds…

But God! To hear her laugh again after these past few days… It was almost worth it… almost…

Duo watched as a red SC convertible pulled up the arc driveway.

'Money… was that all you were looking for, Hilde?' Duo thought miserably as he watched her slip inside the leather interior…

"I could buy one if that's what you want!" Duo shouted as the convertible roared away.

Duo shook his head sadly as he walked back to his suite. "Wufei, my man… this is one word I'm going to borrow from you… Injustice…"

He eyed the bed angrily, sick at the rumpled sight since he'd spent the whole day yesterday on it… but there's nowhere else he could wallow in his thoughts…

He let his frame drop into it once again.

"Six years of planning… down the drain…" his words came out as heavy as a thousand heartbroken sighs…

"Hilde seemed to be enjoying herself with him… Soulmates… Damn fortune tellers…"

He stared aimlessly at the white ceiling above him… his thoughts clashed inside his head…

"She wouldn't have left if she really did love me… would she?" Duo asked in a whisper to the empty room… 

'No… she wouldn't have left you…' Duo answered his own question.

"She wouldn't have left… if she even cared an ounce for you, Maxwell…"

His voice was full of remorse and resignation… Not even near to reflecting the depth of pain he was feeling inside as he came down with that realization…

He had promised… so long ago… He promised that he would make her happy if she would just open her eyes… Prayed and willed to his core…

She was one of the reasons why he had fought so hard…

'And right now… Is she happy?' Against his will, he remembered her laughter just a few minutes ago…

Duo closed his eyes as he tried to look for any advice… 'Mother… Sister Helen… what would you tell me?' His hand went up to the cross around his neck as he remembered the image of the woman who was near to being a mother to him…

His fleeting, blurry thoughts of the chapel… of her beautiful serene face…

_'He died on the cross for everyone because he loved us…'_

_'I don't understand…'_

_'Oh Duo… He didn't want us to suffer… He didn't want us to die… Humanity loves life so, to give humanity a second chance to live life, their joy and happiness, He died. It was a choice he freely accepted… Even if it hurt Him and caused His death, He made sure that they will be forgiven, He loves us that much…'_

_'I still don't understand, Sister Helen…'_

_'Well… you're a smart boy, I'm sure you will understand very soon…'_

A tear escaped Duo's closed eyes as he sat up at the edge of the bed. He just made a decision…

'I understand… now…' And it hurt so much… but he'd caused her enough misery these past few days to last a lifetime… He promised that he'd make her happy… but being here… being around her was just making her feel the opposite…

"Alright… that's what I'll do…" Duo muttered under his breath as he walked to his opened suitcase, still unpacked… his feelings making each of his step heavy…

After nearly ten years of being so close… 

"Guess I was wrong…" Duo whispered, headed straight to the bathroom with a towel in his hands, checked his badly-in-need-of-a-shave face before he dropped his things on the sink and proceeded on to clean himself for his last day of stay…

~*~

Iris pushed her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose as she typed in another set of numbers to break the code on Duo's account… she'd been in the library since yesterday, until it closed, and since this morning when it opened… 

Something had tweaked at her… a memory of Duo typing in his computer and shutting it suspiciously when she came in... Of some numbers not being quite right for Duo's share… 

He's hiding something… but whatever it is… she could be quite sure that it's not bad… so far, everything she found was legal…

So what was it?

Her stomach growled, asking for lunch, but she paid no heed as she focused her attention on breaking in…

~*~

Duo hefted his sack over his shoulder and then handed the man the envelope with the letter he just wrote a while ago… He had to take care of some things… the letter will see to everything…

His gaze fell to the hallway, in front of the grand staircase that ended just by the bar and grimaced as he remembered what happened… A familiar balding man was wiping the bar…

"Room number's written on that envelope. Hopefully the person in that room will be in by nine. I'll know if they got the message, and they will tell me if its been tampered with." Duo dangerously said to the man behind the desk before he walked to the bar.

Duo sat on the stool nearest to the entrance and watched as the man arranged the bottles of whiskey and wine on the shelf. "Hey man." 

The bartender turned around and Duo saw the look of recognition in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to ask for any more drinks. Those things you gave me last time took me out of commission long enough."

The bartender looked at the sarcastic grin on braided man's face and shook his head in disbelief that this man would joke about it… considering...

"You had too much to drink that night, but you also had too much in your mind."

Duo nodded. "Yeah… I just wanted to thank you for keeping me in high spirits." Duo inwardly laughed sardonically at his own pun then took out a 50 credit bill and placed it on the table. 

"Here. This is for you."

The man looked at the bill and shook his head.

Duo didn't wait for him to talk as he dropped the bill inside the counter then grabbed his knapsack once again and ambled to the opening.

"Sir!"

Duo stopped then turned his head sideways to look at the bartender.

Nobody was around… it was too early for drinking…

"For what it is worth… all of us are fools when it comes to love… but at least you tried to fight to keep yours, others do not."

'Friends in weird places… that's what I always get…' Duo thought as he nodded once and turned away…

'Yeah… fool in love… that's for sure…'

~*~

'Dammit! Why won't you open!?' Iris mentally shrieked at the computer as she pounded her fingers on the number pad and pressed enter- hard.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she was taken into a different page…

Iris' eyes widened some more at the numbers that appeared on the screen…

"Holy…!" she caught her loud voice before she could distract anymore people and instantly shouted in her brains-

'Maxwell! What the heck had you been doing these past few years?!'

She had to print this… She doesn't know how to get back in! And she knew that if she could just study the numbers properly… she'd know why he'd been hoarding all these money into that secured account… 

It's got something to do with Hilde… He said so himself after he turned the computer off when she came in…

_'What was that, Duo?'_

_Duo grinned… 'Oh nothing… just for Hilde…'_

'Just for Hilde… now that is what I'm going to find out right now… how was it just for Hilde and maybe I could get both of you together at long last…'

~*~

The rolling hills set against clear, pale blue skies are picturesque as Hilde sat on top of the waist high stone fence…

'Heero… damn you… Duo… to hell with you-'

"Hilde…? Is there something wrong, mon cheri?" 

Jean's soft voice filtered through her red cloud of anger and Hilde smiled- too widely- up at him. 

"Hmm? Why did you say that?"

A frown appeared on Jean's forehead as he leaned against the fence. "I do not know… it's just that it seems as if something is bothering you…" He reached out for Hilde's hand and brought it up to his lips.

Hilde willed her body not to grow tense as Jean kissed her knuckles fleetingly…

"Mon petit… I could feel what you are feeling… we are meant for each other, do you think not?" 

Hilde gulped as Jean looked into her eyes and started rubbing circled upon the back of her hand.

"I thought I had seen an angel when you showed up on my chateau's doorsteps with my friend's sister…"

'Angel… Duo calls me angel…' the unbidden thought made Hilde want to scream, instead, she just took her hands away from Jean's hold.

"Jean, I bet that you say that to all the girls who shows up on your chateau's doorsteps." 

Jean grinned, Hilde almost laughed out loud at the funny way his face looked like with that wad of plaster in the middle of his face.

"Maybe… maybe not."

"Maybe we need to go get something to eat. We skipped lunch." Hilde suggested, feeling how her insides are already rubbing against each other.

"Ah! But there is still so much to see!"

'I just want to eat! I wasn't able to eat yesterday!' Hilde cried out in her mind. 'These stupid hills are still going to be here tomorrow!' But instead, Hilde just smiled, stomped on her irate feelings and nodded. "Alright… sure… let's finish the grand tour."

Jean's grin became wider as he offered his arm to Hilde and they started walking…

~*~

Iris closed her eyes for a second as she walked down the library steps… The only good thing that came out of today was that she was able to print out the ten paged summary of the whole account… she'd poured everything she had on it but all she understood so far was he'd been saving for about seven years and for what reason? She still does not know…

Her stomach grumbled and she finally gave into the temptation of food as she passed by a restaurant and smelled its delicious aroma…

~*~

The cold breeze made Hilde shiver slightly as they walked on the cobblestone steps by the river… 

Jean placed an arm around her shoulders and for the uncountable time that day, an unbidden thought came to her-

'Why don't I feel warm and comfortable in his embrace the way I do with Duo…?'

Hilde closed her eyes and mentally screamed once again as the words disappeared in her mind.

"Hilde, you are too tense…" Jean whispered as he started to rub her shoulder…

'If Duo was here, he would have given me a neck massage- Oh stop it Hilde!!! Stop it, stop it, stop it!!!!'

"Jean, I think I should go back to my hotel… I don't feel well…" Flat out lie… but anything to get her back into the hotel right now… The whole day was so far a number one in her most disastrous days…

"Yes… you had been most tense today."

'Why thank you for noticing, Jean.' Hilde thought sarcastically as they walked to the other side of the river.

They passed a suspicious looking group of men, standing around idly by one of the closed carts by the river and Hilde felt the hair at the back of her neck rise…

"Jean… I think we should walk faster…" Hilde whispered just for his ears as she heard the sounds of footsteps following them…

"No, Hilde… we should never show them that we are afraid…." 

Jean's answer was reassuring but his cold, tense hands contradicted the calmness of his voice.

"No… you don't understand… I don't think these people are the kind that-"

Hilde didn't finish when she was suddenly pulled away from Jean's arms and jerked against someone's body.

She instantly sidestepped, caught back her balance and found herself standing in the middle of four disgusting looking man… Two with beer bellies; one with a nose ring, the other with earrings, and two without; one wore leather and the other with plain casual clothes… the look in their eyes made the fire burn in Hilde, igniting a temper that's dangerous once let out…

Keeping an eye out for the four, she glanced at Jean, talking in French, to the man holding a small knife in front of him … 

'Oh God… Duo… I wish….' She stopped herself, caught herself she violated what she had promised not to do…

Hilde could see the small beads of perspiration appear on Jean's forehead as he took out his wallet-

'Fight, damn you! Don't you know how to fight?!' Hilde's mind cried out as she watched the man take Jean's wallet then motion to her.

'Oh shit…' she could see the hungry looks being given to her… 'If they lay one finger on me… Jean, dammit! What are you doing?!' Hilde glanced back at Jean and saw the helpless look he gave her direction…

A helpless look full of meaning… He's going to let her be… taken…!

"You bastard!!!" Hilde screamed out to Jean as he turned away and the man with the knife started walking to Hilde. 

"Coward!" Hilde cried out once again as she looked around the group. Adrenaline pumped in her veins… If Duo were here, they would all be begging for mercy just for looking at her in such a malicious way…

If Duo were here… he would have defended her even if he were outnumbered…

If Duo were here… 

Hilde started backing away from the group, her brain started to look for weaknesses…

If Duo were here… she would have told him that she loved him…

'The hell! I'm not going down without a fight! I didn't become a Lieutenant Sergeant for nothing!' Hilde thought determinedly as she eluded the man who ran to tackle her then landed a punch against one of the skinny men's jaws and heared it crack.

She didn't lose any time as she quickly turned and gave a high roundhouse kick to the other thin man's face.

Groans and yelps of pain could be heard from the two who crumbled on the cobbled stoned walk in a daze, still not sure of what had happened.

One of the fat men said something in his native language, and from the corner of her eyes, Hilde noticed how the man who tried to tackle her, the one who carried the knife, throw it from left to right.

Her heart beat rapidly against her chest in fear, anger and a tumult of other emotion-

Suddenly, her breath was knocked out of her lungs as the man with a nose ring tackled her to the ground. She didn't think and instinctively pushed her knee up against the man's loins at the same time that she grabbed him by the collar and sent him flying over her head.

She heard him fall down and a stream of curses flowing from his lips. She only gave herself time enough to see where the man landed and saw that he's sprawled over the man carrying the knife.

'One left…' Hilde thought as she faced the last one, thanked her lucky stars that she changed to jeans and sneakers…

With a battle cry, the man charged for her. Hilde stood her ground until the very last minute, then she jumped high in the air, twisted her hips and straightened out her leg. The kick landed against the man's. She dropped back on the ground and instantly gave a left roundhouse kick to his stomach with as much force as she could.

The man fell down on the floor, kissed the cobblestones with pouring saliva and blood as he gasped for air…

Her eyes were still blazing in fury as she looked around and challenged whoever wanted to get their ass kicked. Nobody moved… But expletives were muttered over and over again in painful groans…

Her knuckles were aching… She felt as if she broke her wrist from the punch she landed on that man's jaw… Her right foot was killing her, not used to kicking hard objects anymore… And she felt as if any moment now, she'd fall right on her face due to the after shock… or maybe because her heart was pumping too hard and too fast…Either way… she willed her body not to show her inner fear…

"Jean? Are you alright?" Hilde's soft voice asked as she looked at the wide-eyed man who stared at the five men crumpled on the walk…

She saw the spark of admiration in his eyes as he walked to her and grabbed her tenderly by her shoulders. "Oh Hilde! I was so worried! I mean, I could have defended you, but I did not know how to fight-"

"Jean, are you alright?" Hilde asked once again as she pulled herself away from his hands, her voice dangerously soft.

"Yes… of course, I am al-"

"PUT A SOCK IN IT YOU DAMN BASTARD!" Hilde screamed out as her fist shot out to his face.

She heard the satisfying sounds of plaster and bones cracking… of the girlish howl that came out from the man in front of her… She didn't care about the pain that shot through her hand as she drew it back and Jean started muttering a flow of expletives while he doubled over and clutched his nose.

Oh God! She almost forced herself to feel for this idiot!!! She'd actually defended this spineless worm from the man she… 

Hilde turned away from the awful sight and started walking back to her hotel.

'God… I don't care if he doesn't love me… I know that I love him… and maybe in time… he'll learn how to feel for me too…' Hilde prayed as she walked through the darkened streets, her senses alert for any more trouble….

Her whole body was numb… she didn't even know that she was shaking and that tears were flowing down her cheeks as she walked through the lobby of her hotel and went straight to Iris' suite, and knocked on the door with her good left hand…

Her friend's familiar face greeted her with a smile that turned into stunned surprise as she took in Hilde's disheveled state.

"Oh my God! Hilde… are you alright?"

"Y-y-yes…" her jaws was shaking too much that she could barely speak…

Iris quickly grabbed some tissue papers and started patting Hilde's tear stained face. Questions could be asked later… right now, her friend needs someone to be there… Her gaze fell down on Hilde's lap and saw how she's cradling her right hand.

"Let me see that…" Iris whispered as she gently took out Hilde's swollen hand, her eyes widening. "What the-?!"

"G-g-gave J-jean a f-farewell pr-present…"

Iris' eyes slanted. "He didn't try to-"

Hilde shook her head. "Da-damn… been t-too lo-long since I've be-been in sh-shock li-li-like this…"

Iris let out a silent sigh of relief that Jean didn't try anything… but what ever it was that he did… She could be quite sure he's paying for his crimes right now… 

"I'm going to get some ice for that hand." Iris said as she went to the refrigerator, thankful that she ordered a fresh batch of ice for her ice tea.

"Whe-where's D-du-duo?" Hilde asked as she tried to stop her chattering teeth and shivering body.

"I don't know… I haven't seen him since that night at the bar." She walked back to Hilde with the bowl of ice and placed it in front of her friend. "You know what to do with it."

Hilde grimaced but she complied as she slowly dipped her hand into the ice…

"I'm going to make you some hot cocoa… maybe that'll help you soothe your nerves."

"Th-th-thanks…"

Hilde watched Iris prepare hot water with the automatic boiler, and in no time at all, she had an instant cocoa in her hands. It helped… She could feel her haywire nerves slowly calm while she breathed in its chocolate aroma and sipped in the warm liquid.

"Iris… could you do me a favor?" Hilde asked, a few minutes later, finally able to speak calmly.

Iris frowned. "Sure, if I could do it, why not?"

"Could you… ask Duo if we could talk?" Hilde asked, almost shyly. She knew how much she'd put her friend through these past few days, just because of her stupid, idiotic half brained ideas…

"You are going to 'talk' to him right? Not shout at him. This is going to be a civil talk, right?" Iris took Hilde's hand out of the bowl and laid it on her lap, ready with the bandage wrap.

Hilde gave a tired smile at Iris. "Iris, I won't shout at him… I just want to hold him right now and tell him that I love him and that I don't care if he doesn't love me back… Does that meet your approval, doc?"

Iris grinned. Finally! They're getting somewhere! "Sure does, Hilde… I'll go to his room right-"

The sudden knock on the door made the two women jerk their gazes on it. 

"If it's Jean, I'm going to strangle him." Hilde said through gritted teeth. "A herd of stampeding wild horses wouldn't stop me from committing murder."

Iris shook her head. "Hilde, calm down. I'll go see, and if it is Jean, just leave me a good piece so I can clobber him myself, okay?" She taped the last end of the wrap on Hilde's wrist then went straight to the door, opened it only half way so as not to upset Hilde some more if it was the horrible person…

Hilde watched as the door closed and her friend walk back to her with a frown on her face, while turning an envelope around in her hands.

"What is it?"

Iris looked up at Hilde. "I have no clue…"

"Well… why don't you open it up, genius."

Iris grinned. "Yeah, yeah… keep your shirt on." 

Hilde saw Iris take a slip of paper out and then saw the cheerful grin on her face disappear into shock…

"Iris? What is it?" Hilde asked hesitantly as she reached out to touch her friend's arm.

Iris turned her troubled blue eyes to Hilde's confused navy blue ones. 

"Hilde… Duo just left me his share of the company…" 

Her voice was barely a whisper but it seemed like a shout to Hilde as her hand dropped back to her side and she stared at Iris in disbelief …


	6. Sometimes, Words Get In the Way 6

Whispers of the Heart

** Sometimes Words Get In the Way  
Chapter 6  
by: Obsolete Love **

"No… no… he couldn't have… that would mean that…" Hilde shook her head… 'That would mean that he's leaving me…' She couldn't believe it!. "Give me that letter!" She cried out as she grabbed the letter from Iris' shaking hands.

__

'I hereby declare that I, Duo Maxwell, leave my capital stocks and shares of XTECH Company to Miss Iris Blanca, current Office Manager.'

Hilde's eyes widened in disbelief while her mind screamed that it wasn't real.

__

Heh… never thought I'd write a serious stuff like these… Well, have fun, Iris… I know I did… and well… tell Hilde that I won't bother her anymore… tell her to… take care of herself and that I wish all the happiness in the world for her.

You are going to be solely responsible for giving Hilde my wedding present, all right? I mean, they'd eventually marry, being soul mates and all… Account number is 143HM1232251212 under Rawn Investors and Securities.

Thanks for being a good friend… You take care of yourself too…

By the time she finished reading, Hilde's hands were shaking so much that she was almost crumpling the paper…

Iris' hands stilled her… her touch made Hilde look down at their hands blankly then up at Iris. "Why did he leave…? He didn't have to leave… I don't want him to…" Hilde gasped as she leaned to her friend and embraced her while she cried over her shoulders.

Iris' hands went around Hilde's body and gave her a squeeze. "Shhh… Don't worry, he'll be around… he loves you, you know…" She could feel Hilde's head shake, not believing her. "Hilde what would it take to make you believe that…" Iris' voice faded as she remembered the numbers on the paper… Something seemed to click in place, and she quickly pushed Hilde away, then grabbed the letter at the same time.

Childhood tease and her mother's stories of the olden days… of so long ago echoed in her mind… A game children made up just for the fun of it… Could it be that Duo knew about those old, forgotten codes?

"I was looking at the wrong numbers…!" Iris' shocked voice whispered out.

Hilde watched as her friend scrambled to a table with sprawled papers, took a pen and paper and started writing… She didn't care… what she want was Duo's arms around her… the knowledge that he would be with her.

'He left…' Hilde whispered in her mind… The scenes from the past few days replayed itself in her mind… She never really knew why Duo punched Jean… never really knew why he came here… Could it be that he really does… "Iris! We have to pack! We have to pack now!" Hilde's voice clamored out as she stood up and started walking to the door.

"Wait! Hilde… Give me a few more minutes!" 

"No! You don't understand!" Hilde cried out as she wrung her hands together. If she lets Duo disappear… she would never find him…

__

'We're Gundam Pilots… we're trained to disappear… Why'd you think Heero's so hard to find? Because he doesn't want anyone finding him… 

"Iris!!!" Hilde yelled, panic filling her.

Suddenly, Iris gave a shout of victory, jumped out of her seat, and toppled the chair over. "You want proof, Hilde?! Here's your proof that Duo loves you!" Iris said as she walked to her friend.

"I don't care about proof!! I want-"

"Hilde! Just look at this!" Iris' voice left no room for argument as she jabbed the paper full of scratch and writing in front of Hilde's face.

1=I

4=Love

3=You

H=Hilde

M=M

1=A

23=X

22=W

5=E

12=L

12=L

Iris saw Hilde's confused frown. 

"I… I don't think I understand…"

"Duo's been saving money in this account-" Iris pointed at the account number, "For the past six or seven years… He has this amount now-" she pointed at the number that made Hilde's eyes widen.

"Wha-what's he planning to do with-" It seemed as if her brain had stopped working…

"Hilde! Get it through your thick skull!!! You're usually the one who's perceptive and smart in our group. Hello!!! Look at the account name!!! This amount can last you for five years of good living not to mention the wedding of your life, honeymoon, cars and a dream house! By the time this money is depleted, it'll be refurbished!"

Iris saw understanding filter through Hilde's navy blue eyes then the painful look Hilde gave her when she looked up at her-

"Iris! Pack your bags now! We're going home!" Hilde yelled in her commanding voice as she ran out of her friend's suite.

'Oh God, Duo… I hope I'm not too late… Please God, don't make me be too late… I don't care if what Iris showed me isn't real… I just… Please God… Please…' Hilde prayed from the bottom of her heart as she stacked her clothes into her bag, unmindful that some of her dresses are going to be crumpled…

~*~

The cab slowed to a stop in front of the one story house she and Duo had been sharing… her house… their house…

Hilde opened the door and was about to step out when Iris' hand on her shoulder stilled her. She looked back and saw her friend's encouraging look.

"Good luck…"

Hilde nodded… She couldn't talk… if she does, she might break down and cry again… so all she could do was to nod her thanks…

She didn't look at her house as she grabbed her bags from the trunk… Seemed like she doesn't want to go inside her house at all for fear that… Duo might still be in there… or that he might not be there…

The cab drove off and Hilde breathed in deeply to gather up courage… She came through the fastest shuttle… as fast as she could… the first flight that had an opening… just for one thing… 

'Duo… please be here…' Hilde prayed as she reached her door. Hesitant fingers slowly reached out with keys… She heard the loud click of her lock… It seemed as if each action took longer to do than usual. Muttering one last plea to whoever was looking over the universe, Hilde opened the door and walked in.

Silence encompassed her… Eerie and desolate…

The sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach became more pronounced but Hilde kept a hold onto that dwindling hope in her heart.

"Duo? Are you here?" Hilde's words faded in the stillness of the house. She knew, at the back of her mind, that if Duo were there at that moment, the house wouldn't feel quite so lonely…or so big… 

She swallowed hard as her hand gripped Duo's doorknob. 

"Duo? Are you in there?" Hilde asked as she twisted the knob and opened the door, and hoped against hope that she'd find Duo, on his bed with his walkman… or something…

But the sight that greeted her was an empty room… neat and orderly as if nobody had lived in it for these past few years… as if the memory she had of Duo was nothing but a dream…

She doesn't have to check his cabinet to know that his things were gone… Probably forever…

The tears that had been threatening to come out during the long flight back home… during the long drive back to her house… during the small span of time when she walked into her house, now slowly began to fall…

No one was around her now… no one would be looking at her… she's alone in her house, so why won't she cry freely?

It was silent tears… Tears that held so much wrenching pain, guilt and sadness… No howls or yells or cries… just whispered gasps for air as her chest constricted…

Her steps faltered as she walked to his bed then sat on it.

How many times did they lay on this bed only to hold each other when they woke up from nightmares…? How many times had she brushed his hair back and whispered her love, kissed him on his cute little nose while he was slept in her arms…? How many times had he made her laugh when she was cried…?

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Hilde whispered as she hugged herself.

The fading artificial lighting of the colony filtered through the small, bare window and illuminated the room with a dim, dreary light…

She turned on the bed to look at the window when something shimmered on Duo's lamp desk and caught Hilde's attention. She reached out across the bed to touch it… faintly… softly…

Duo's cross… He always wears it… Why did he leave it this time?

She didn't move the necklace… she didn't want to disturb anything but the bed she was sitting on… She wants the room that still held his presence stay the way it was…

More sobs rocketed through Hilde's small body and she grabbed a pillow to hug it against her chest, wishing it were him… Even if she tried… even if she hires the best tracker… in her heart she knew that it would all be futile if Duo doesn't want to be found…

She buried her face into the soft pillow and smelled Duo's scent… his after-shave mixed with his soap and cologne… She inhaled all of it as she turned her face to her side, touched her cheek on the pillow and opened her eyes…

A slight frown appeared on her forehead while her hand slowly moved to the thing that caught her eyes…

Where the pillow was before… her hand touched the photograph…

A worn photo of herself…

'Why did he…? How come…?' The questions came and went in Hilde's mind as she stared at her photograph while a single answer echoed for each…

If she needed proof that he even cared for her… it's in her hands right now… The day the picture was taken unfolded in Hilde's mind…

"Our first kiss…" she whispered with a soft smile… Claire had taken a picture of her while Duo scrambled out of the way… embarrassed at being caught kissing her… She was laughing at his red face and Claire pressed the flash.

How did it even happen…? Oh yeah… she was running down the stairs in Claire's house and then she slipped… She had closed her eyes, half expecting to hit the cold, hard floor but she fell in a warm, firm embrace instead… and when she opened her eyes… Soft, tender, violet eyes met her gaze… Something happened then and Duo's hold tightened around her waist while she leaned to him…

Hilde gasped in a faltering breath and hugged the pillow to her body some more… No more tears… all used, but in her heart and mind she's still crying endlessly…

"My fault… all my fault…" Hilde murmured against the pillow as she wiped her tear stained face against it.

She didn't know how long she sat on his bed, hugging his pillow, but when she looked out the window, darkness had enveloped the streets…

Tenderly, she placed the pillow back in place but held on to her picture, then she pulled out the blankets on his bed, and snuggled inside to smell his fragrance and be a part of him once again. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep… wishing that it were his arms around her instead of just his blankets…

(AN: To all those who wrote my reviews, thank you so much! *grin* I wanted to email you all but some of you are unlisted *sweatdrop* but please know that I am very thankful. I hope everyone's taking care of themselves! Next chapter will be out shortly ^_^ BTW, the little code was really inspired by childhood memories of secret alphabets and coding. I had ranges from those to something akin to that Atlantian alphabet, plus made up ones ^_~ It was really cool to do it back then. *reminisce of childhood days*)


	7. Sometimes Words Get In the Way 7

Whispers of the Heart

** Sometimes Words Get In the Way  
Chapter 7  
by: Obsolete Love **

CLICK!

Hilde's eyes opened wide at the sound… 

DHSSHHHHHH…

Her hands grew cold as she slowly grabbed hold of the antique alarm clock on the other lamp desk, thankful for both the darkness of the room and that she's sleeping on the other side of the bed, away from the window…

Her hand gripped the only weapon she could use as she slowly turned her head to the window, intent to find out if the assailant has any weapon in hand…

The shadow moved with effortless grace as it brought one of its legs in, then his waist…

'If he thinks I'm going down without a fight…' her thoughts of survival and the mixed feelings of anger and panic disappeared as the shadow's full length bent inside and she saw a long… familiar… dangling braid…

'Duo…' her mind whispered… pleasant surprise, happiness, and love started to flow through her numbed mind once again. 'Why did you come back?' Hilde asked silently as she watched his head tilt almost as if thinking… remembering… She could already imagine his face in contemplation…

'Heh… can't believe I'm back here… thought I'd never set foot in this house again…' He thought sadly as he tried to see through the darkness. 'Now where the heck did I leave that…? I can't believe I forgot them…' Duo regarded his old room, squinted through the darkness while he moved stealthily towards his bedside lamp table.

Hilde could almost hear the 'Aha!' in his mind as she watched his hand go around the silver crucifix necklace, then he faced her. She forced her breathing not to show under the covers, once again thankful for the near blinding darkness…

'What else have you forgotten that you'd risk coming back?' Hilde asked to herself as she watched him bend over the other side of the bed, his hand patting the bed, and then it went under the pillow…

'Where the heck is it? It couldn't have grown legs and run…' Duo thought in frustration as he jerked the pillow away. He needs to get away from this house… reminds him too much of Hilde. 'Damn, Duo… If you don't want to remember her, why are you trying to look for her photograph?' he asked, contradicting himself.

Hilde couldn't believe her eyes… There was only one thing under that pillow… and she's holding on to it… Could it be that…? 

There was only one way to find out…

"What are you looking for?" Hilde asked softly as she slowly sat up on the bed.

"A damn photo-" Duo stopped in mid-sentence when he realized that the voice who asked that question was real… As casually as he could, he let his gaze travel across his bed, half praying that Hilde wasn't there, that it was his imagination, then he let it rest on the almost hidden form within the shadows…

"I thought… you left…" Hilde whispered, not knowing what to do or what to say.

Duo couldn't move, the knowledge that she's right in front of him had shocked him. "I… forgot something."

"You didn't have to come through the window." Hilde felt her voice grow stronger. Duo hasn't left yet…

'I didn't have to… but I didn't feel welcomed in here anymore…' Duo thought but instead, he straightened his back, gripped his crucifix, and asked for strength. "My keys are in an envelope by the telephone table."

Hilde bit her lower lip. "Oh…"

Silence encompassed them… It didn't seem right… It was the first time they had felt this kind of uncomfortable silence… Both were struggling… 

Duo was trying to get free… He must let go… The knowledge that Hilde's sleeping in his bed didn't even penetrate through his pain numbed brain… Maybe it's better that he wouldn't get her picture to bring it with him… but still- 

"I didn't know that you were back in town." Casual… he needs to stay casual… 'Keep your cool, Maxwell…'

"Yeah… I just came back…"

"Had a great time?" Duo asked. He easily volleyed the polite conversation between them. 'Hell, Duo! Why don't you just leave… NOW!'

Hilde thought back to the satisfying sounds of cracking plaster, coupled with that pained howl, and she had to smile. "Yes… actually I did…"

Duo closed his eyes at her response, and felt the start of tears form at the back of his eyes… 'Shit!' He has to get out… fast…

"Well… good… uhm… just have fun with him… I mean… soul mates and all… uhm… when you have your wedding…" Duo felt a catch in his voice. 'God! I'm blabbering…'

Hilde could feel him slowly give his good-bye… slowly shut her out of his life…

"When you have your wedding… just good luck and all…" Duo didn't lose any time as he walked to the window to exit the cursed hell of happy memories that he could never be a part of…

Hilde's eyes widened. She quickly scrambled out of the bed, ran to him, and placed a stopping hand on his, as he was halfway out of the window. How do you tell someone so many things that are clamoring to be said? I love you… stay with me… I punched Jean in his nose… I don't want you to go… I want to marry you…

Duo looked down at her hand on his, confusion warring in him. Why did she stop him?

Hilde swallowed. "_We _haven't set a date for the wedding yet…"

Duo's hand grew cold under hers at the announcement… So there will be a wedding… Is that all she's going to say?

"Well… as I said before… Good luck." Duo said, his voice hoarse as he tried to feign off his tears. 'I'd say Jean should go to hell, but I don't want to hurt you…' He tried to move away once again but Hilde wouldn't let his hand go.

"Aren't… aren't you going to go?" 

Duo's eyes traveled to her face, the dim lights from the lamppost illuminated her tired looking face…

"I mean… go to the wedding?" Oh God! That sounds so wrong! 'I'm digging myself a deeper grave!' Hilde thought her panic was kicking her around.

Duo's eyes turned to slits as he jerked his hand away from her hold. "Hilde, I know that you hate me but I didn't know that you'd go that far to show me… How do you expect me to go to your wedding when…" He didn't finish. He does not want to say that damn name… He slid his leg out of the window. Get away- now!

Hilde shook her head, quickly leaned out then grabbed the back of his shirt. She was able to clutch a good quantity of the black cloth.

Duo was suddenly jerked back and slowly, he turned around to face Hilde. 'Why the hell are you doing this?!' Duo cried out, his pain showed clearly in his already sparkling violet eyes…

Hilde almost cringed at what she saw in his eyes, but she didn't let him go. Instead, she reached her other hand to hold his shirtfront.

"What do you want Hilde?" Duo asked, his voice a tone lower as he tried to keep his tears from resurfacing.

Hilde bit her lower lip nervously, not knowing how to say it… "I… I…" 

'Just leave her!' Duo cried out mentally, but his feet seemed to be rooted to the ground. 

Hilde drew in a stammering breath. "A wedding c-can't be a wedding without a groom… could it?" She asked as she looked up at his face and showed him what she feels for him through her eyes… to let him know. She saw him frown in confusion, saw the same depth of bewilderment in his eyes…

'What are you trying to tell me?' Duo asked himself as he saw things in her eyes he had never expected to see. He looked down, away from those eyes and saw her hands clenched hands on his shirt.

For a moment, his confusion disappeared as he saw her bandaged right hand, the white cloth with a hint of blood in it. Anger replaced his bafflement and he reached for her hand to pry it loose. Tenderly, he opened it on his palm, looked at her covered knuckles and- 

"What happened?" His calm voice belied the fury he felt… Hilde wanted to jerk her hand away from his tender hold… but the mere fact that he was holding her didn't let her…

"I…" Hilde gave a nervous laugh, "I gave Jean a parting gift… Duo Maxwell style…"

Duo's head snapped up to face her… Could it be that…? It was a parting gift…

Hilde bit her lower lip once again as she still saw disbelief in his eyes. Laughter was always what Duo's known for… 

She gave a faltering smile. "The groom will still not come to the wedding… if you leave…"

That phrase fastened something in Duo's mind… something he wasn't sure of before, but now… He could feel his courage rise… No fear or uncertainty suffocated him as he stared into her clear, navy blue eyes. Bubbles of happiness started to pop inside him and he could feel his face slowly smile the way he'd thought he never would again.

"Hell no! I'm the one doing the proposing in this family!" Duo cried out as he grinned up to her slightly shocked face and then dropped down to one knee, right in the flowerbeds they worked so hard on last summer.

Hilde's eyes popped wide as she stared at Duo in front of her. He still held her bandaged hand and then, he gently pulled it to his face and kissed her it, bandages and all. Who wouldn't smile at such an act? Who wouldn't smile as questions and fears were thrown in the wind while she stared into his eyes, and he stared into hers.

"Hilde Schebecker, I know I've waited a long time for this… Would you marry me?"

His serious tone challenged that wide grin on his face… the way he's outside the house, kneeling on flowerbeds and she, leaning out of his window… Hilde bent forward some more, knowing that he would catch her and not fall. Her arms went around his solid neck and his came around her waist…

"Let's see anyone try and stop me." Hilde whispered against his ear before she turned her face to his and kissed him wantonly on his lips, hungry for his taste. She had thought that she'd lost him… but thank God he forgot something.

His hands tightened around her waist, hefted her out of the window and then plastered her to his frame. She said yes! He felt like rejoicing, yelling, shouting, dancing… kissing her…

"I thought I lost you…" Duo whispered as Hilde's lips pulled away from his. He trailed a set of kisses down her neck while her hands slid down his chest in the most arousing way.

"I am… never going to let you go." Hilde whispered against his chestnut brown hair, a hand went to his back to trace his braid…

'God! That sounds so good…' Duo thought as he pulled down her sleeve to reveal her white shoulder… He couldn't seem to be able to stop himself as his lips pressed a lingering kiss right there… Her hands traveling around his body felt so…

Hilde stifled a moan and felt her knees buckle at what he was doing on her skin… down her chest… Her breath came in faster and her heart started beating erratically. "Duo… when do you want our wedding?"

'Wedding…' Duo felt himself pulled out of a haze as the word repeated itself over and over in his head. He closed his eyes and gave one last kiss at the valley of her breasts then, against his will, pulled her loose shirt back in place. 'Almost… almost… but not yet…'

Hilde frowned in confusion as she looked at Duo's face that seemed to be trying very hard to regain his control. "Why did you stop? I didn't want you to stop…" 

Duo groaned at her hoarse voice, and at her passion filled eyes… at her words… He could almost feel his weak control break away… He hugged her instead. Brought her as close to him as he could… "Hilde… don't say that again… I might not be able to control myself…"

Hilde shook her head against his chest. "I don't want you to."

"But I want to…" Duo whispered as he pulled away from her and tilted her chin up to make her face him. "I want to marry you first… then make love to you…"

Hilde's eyes sparkled with unshed tears of joy at what he said.

"I've waited this long, my first, my only, my last… my wife." Duo continued in his tender whisper.

A wide smile of happiness lighted Hilde's face at what he told her and her embrace tightened as she leaned up to his ears. "And my husband…"

Duo smiled as he pressed a lingering kiss on her cheek. "Man… this is going to be hard though… I don't even know how I went through all these years without breaking down!"

Hilde giggled. "Tell me about it." She whispered back mischievously as she made her hand trace his spine… She felt him shiver and she laughed some more.

"Hilde!" Duo whined as he shifted to hold on to Hilde's hands.

"Just teasing." Hilde laughingly said.

Duo grinned down at her happy face, his own mirrored on his face then he became serious… there's still one more thing he needs to tell her… "Hilde… I lo-"

Hilde leaned to press her lips against his just to stop what he was about to say. She couldn't move her hands from her side because of his iron grip but she doesn't want him to say it. It doesn't matter. He doesn't have to say it… Their friends were right… actions speaks louder than words…

They kissed each other hungrily once again and when they finally parted to gasp in some air, Duo leaned his chin on her midnight blue hair.

"What was that for?"

Hilde smiled against his shirt She could feel the erratic beating of his heart under her cheek, that matched her own. "Sometimes… Words just get in the way…"

Duo's hands let go of her arms as he hugged her, slightly confused. "But-"

Her right hand instantly went up to his lips to stall him once again. Still leaning against his chest, she let her hand fall to his shoulder… "I know Duo… me too…" Her hands went around his waist, and she lavished at the weight of his arms around her shoulders… "Just hold me…"

Duo smiled, somewhat understanding what she meant… "My pleasure…"

They stood outside their back yard, arms entwined, held each other, not wanting to let go while the lamppost lights flickered away its life… The still colony air and silent streets calm just as these two hearts' finally met, danced, clashed and melted together in peace.

(AN: A friend of mine reminded me of this quote: "Destiny has no place in true love for we make our own." It is a quote worth mentioning because I feel that it has great significance. I hope you all enjoyed this story! When I wrote this, someone *glares at someone in particular* forced me to write sequels, such as about Trowa, Quatre, Wufei and, of course, Heero. Now let's see what I've come up with, ne?)

[][1]

[][2]

[][3]

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   [1]: http://dreamwater.com/
   [2]: http://1freespace.com/
   [3]: http://dreamwater.net/
   [4]: http://carptackle.com/sitemap.html



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